Two ongoing research projects, namely, Project LIGTAS and Project PAMANA, both being implemented by the UPLB School of Environmental Science and Management (SESAM) attended and presented papers at the Japan Geoscience Union (JpGU) 2023 in Makuhari Messe, Chiba, Japan last May 21-26, 2023. 

Outputs from different studies under Projects PAMANA and LIGTAS were presented by the delegates headed by Dr. Decibel V. Faustino-Eslava at this six-day event. Together with Dr. Eslava were Dr. Jenielyn T. Padrones (LIGTAS and PAMANA Project Staff) from the UPLB College of Forestry and Natural Resources and an Affiliate Faculty of SESAM, Mr. Francis Ian Gonzalvo, PAMANA Research Associate, and Mr. Jonathan T. Macuroy and Mr. Jose Mari C. Lit, both Earth Systems Research Team (EaRT Lab) consultants and current graduate students at Akita University. 

Project LIGTAS (Landslide Investigations on Geohazards for Timely Advisories in the Philippines) aims to improve our understanding of shallow landslides and formulate early warning systems for the country. On the other hand, Project PAMANA (Philippine Mining at the National to Catchment Scale: From Legacy Impacts to Sustainable Futures) aims to devise practices and policies for managing mineralized watersheds in the country. It also hopes to empower government agencies, mining companies, and communities with new technologies and practices to minimize the environmental and ecological impacts of mining. 

Paper presentations from these two research projects include the initial outputs on River Styles in Itogon sub-catchment, sediment erosion and deposition patterns in Itogon sub-catchment using CAESAR-Lisflood (CL) modelling, the use of Landsat 8 and ASTER to map hydrothermally altered rocks in Mankayan Benguet, the fate and transport of metals and metalloids in the mineralized Itogon sub-catchment, resilience and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM), and the development of landslide early warning systems (LEWS) in the Philippines.

Some key highlights from Dr. Eslava’s presentation for Project LIGTAS includes the fact that the Philippines is naturally vulnerable to various hazards, particularly rainfall-induced shallow landslides. To address this issue, the project uses Geographic Information System (GIS) tools and remote sensing techniques to identify and rank the areas susceptible to landslides. Additionally, a decision criteria matrix was incorporated to enhance early warning systems. 

From Project PAMANA, a research paper by Dr. Padrones emphasized the importance of adhering to quality standards for assessing surface water in the Agno River Basin. The results showed that the majority of the sampling sites met the standards for metals and metalloids, with the exception of Fe (iron), Cu (copper), Mn (manganese), As (arsenic), and Hg (mercury). Moreover, the results obtained from Portable X-Ray Flourescence (P-XRF) analysis identified specific “hotspot” areas with potentially ecotoxic elements such as Hg, Cu, Zn (zinc), and As. 

JpGU is a supporting organization of IYBSSD (International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development) through the Science Council of Japan, composed of 51 academic councils related to earth and planetary sciences with about 10,000 members. The annual JpGU meetings aim to contribute to the promotion and dissemination of Earth and Planetary Science, as a whole, through international cooperation, information dissemination to society, research activities in related fields, and information exchange.The group’s trip was funded by the Geological Society of the Philippines (full support to Dr. Eslava, and partial support for Dr. Padrones and For. Gonzalvo). (RMAreglado and FPGonzalvo)